Page 8 - TTWINov2020

Manufacturing
page 8 | Manufacturing Today Wisconsin | fall, 2020 Electronic Edition: www.manufacturingtodaywi.com

Wisconsin cribbage boards, embroidered hats, hands-on and hands-off information of all
scrunchies, drink koozies, washer snowmen, sorts that would contribute to the prosperity of
snowmen ornaments, and anodized aluminum Spartan Manufacturing’s future.
keychains. By the eighth week, Spartan Manufactur-
Once the brainstorming process came to a ing was receiving more attention than anyone
close, and production groups were established, thought possible. The website had more than
the next challenge that the students of Spartan 400 visits, and by November 19th the class
Manufacturing had to tackle were the daunting had made its first official sale to someone all
brought in all of the company’s machines that resided in the better half of the the way in Oklahoma, who had heard about
sales, each student helped contrib- school. Over the course of the first few weeks Spartan Manufacturing from one of the stu-
ute to the class in their own way. students were trained in all dents, Christian Marcillo.
By the end of the school year, stu- sorts of equipment ranging After the first sale
dents could proudly say they had from sewing machines to the class took off, receiv-
earned $5,671 and gained more the laser. ing more orders than even
knowledge and experience than Each product required teachers Steve Pennekamp
they could have ever hoped for. different software and and Travis Ray thought pos-
Unfortunately in the follow- expertise, which provided sible. By Christmas time
ing year, the class did not run due new and unique learning Spartan Manufacturing was
to the lack of students interested in opportunities to the students in full swing, filling orders
the opportunity. However after a involved. While some stu- by the dozens. In times of
year of promoting, Spartan Man- dents focused on the design chaos, weaknesses within
ufacturing was up and running that instigated the produc- the production phases were
again with new purpose and aspi- tion process, on softwares exposed. Unfortunately,
rations to drive it. such as Aspire and Corel some of the cutting boards
At the beginning of the 2019- Draw, others specialized in had started to warp; but
2020 school year, no one had any running machines such as the CNC, Cricket, soon thereafter, the problem was resolved by
idea about the amount of atten- laser, mig welding, sewing machines, and dividing the cutting board into four pieces and
tion Spartan Manufacturing would embroidery machine. then gluing them together.
soon bring to McFarland High There was never a point in time where a Not long after winter break, once the
School. The class began with a student wasn’t busy; they were either in the Christmas frenzy had passed, News 15 showed
template of a website they had classroom working with software, or in the up at Spartan Manufacturing’s doorstep. The
designed the previous year and woods and metal shops producing revenue. opportunity was made possible by one of
thirty-five hopeful students, with Each member of Spartan Manufacturing was
two experienced and knowledge- working to their full potential and absorbing Continued on page 10
able teachers
to get them on
Nina Crull their feet.
Spartan Manufacturing Soon after introduc-
McFarland High School tions and expectations
McFarland High School supplies many were defined, the class
opportunities to all its students, but the oppor- was off and running.
tunities are only as valuable as the students Brainstormed products
make them. In 2017 opportunity arose for ranged from playing cards
McFarland juniors and seniors seeking hands- and scrunchies to metal
on and hands-off learning about what it takes candle holders and cutting
to run a company. From brainstorming to pro- boards. Some ideas took MEC is a leading U.S. –based value-
duction to advertising, Spartan Manufacturing more moxie than others in added manufacturing partner that provides
entails the full experience of a broad range of prototyping and tooling,
what it’s like to work in the production fabrication, coating, assembly
manufacturing field. and aftermarket components. We are
This class is unique headquartered in Mayville, WI, with
in the sense that it is the operations throughout this great state.
school’s first student-run
business. When hearing, We are proud to be the nation’s
“student-run” many people leading fabrication company for the
automatically assume hectic last 10 consecutive years, according
chaos raging within a class- to The Fabricator magazine.
room, with no sense of
direction. However, this is MEC is #1 for a Reason!
not the case for the handful
of students who have
dedicated their time and commitment to the order to even make it off
success of Spartan Manufacturing. the ground; but in the end, We are Hiring at Each of Our Wisconsin Locations!
As of 2017, Spartan Manufacturing was Spartan Manufacturing
just starting out with only an idea and ambi- had a total of ten prod-
tion to fuel it. Appealing to students with all ucts that would soon bring Apply online at www.meccareers.com
different backgrounds of skills, the business in revenue: Wisconsin
profited most off each individual’s exper- cutting boards, Madison Mayville Engineering Company, Inc. I www.mecinc.com
tise. Whether it be running the CNC to make lakes cutting boards, con-
cribbage boards or creating the website that version cutting boards,